βucharest Urban League of photographers for the Balkans

"Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

Belene concentration camp was part of the network of forced labour camps in Communist Bulgaria. It was located on the Persin (Belene) Island, between two branches of the Danube river.

The opponents of the communist dictatorship were forced to live in inhuman conditions ñ daily physical labour, intolerable demands and under constant armed guard. They were forced to live in bunkers and huts which they built themselves with whatever materials they could find. Hunger was the most terrible thing they were subject to.

Tens of thousands of prisoners passed through the camps.

Every year from 1990 at the end of May or the beginning of June, an annual pilgrimage to the site of the former camp is held. For the rest of the year the island is closed for visitors.

This pictures are from 2017 annual service of remembrance for the victims of the communist camps. (Photos and text by Svilen Nachev)

One day in the city faces become invisible. We don't see them, they don't see us. They pass by us, they pass through us, deconstructed in shadows and mostly out of focus.

But it's not them, it's us who put the barriers, it's us who stop communicating, who start looking without seeing, it's us who will suffer for a long period this lack of vision. Until someone or something will push the panic button, will press force quit and move to trash "Escape yourself, and gravity, hear me, cease to speak that I may speak, Restart and re-boot yourself, You're free to go!"

And then one day in the city faces become visible again. Only that they are transformed, they are not the same anymore, we are not the same anymore! (Photos by Rafael Ianos)

These pictures were taken in this year in surroundings of Salonta, a small city from Romania next to the the western border with Hungary.

The pictures are part of my ongoing project about the abandoned petrol stations next to the borderland.

All these petrol stations were built to deserve a commercial opportunity, Hungary became a member of European Community in 2004, Romania entered in UE only in 2007, in this 3 years of “financial relax” a lot of products were cheaper in Romania in comparison with any other UE member country. Because of the price, the Hungarian citizens passed the border to refuel their cars with cheaper gas, and this gave birth for this constructions really fast.

2007 the moment of acceptance of Romania as a full member in UE, was the year of falling-off for this business, they died suddenly and the buildings were left alone as mementos for this short period of rising and glory. (László-Tibor Olah)